Gauze-packing device



May 29, 1923.

1,456,828 E. M. PISTOR GAUZE PACKING DEVICE Filed March 1'7. 1922 ffll. Q v 62 Q 95 V 50 9 .9

W imam Patented May 29, 1923.

UNITED; stares.

PAT- 0m ERNEST M. rrsron, or DUNDEE, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR oFoNE-HALF To AUGUST T.

PISTOR, OF OAK PARK, ILLINOIS.

. GAUZE-PACKING' DEVICE.

Application filed' March 17, 1922. Serial iiof544,517.

To aZZwhom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ERNEST M. PISTOR, a citizenlof the United States, -residing;at Dundee, Kane County, Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gauze-Packin Devices, of which the following is a speci cation.

These improvements relate to means for packing gauze into a wound or body cavity as part of a surgical or therapeut cal operation.

The medical and surgical professions are well acquainted with a form of gauze packer which consists of a relatively long tubular member having a long slender rod or feeder within it, the front end portion of the rod being provided with a pair of diverg ng prongs, its other end having ahead or enlargement which may be grasped by the hand. In the operation the old form of device mentioned the tubular member is grasped by one hand, the end of a strip of gauze in roll form is impaled upon the prongs, and the pronged end of the feeder with the gauze secured thereto is then nserted in the rear end of, the tubular member and pushed in as far as it will go. The

feeder having the pronged endis then re to be applied as a packing." The tubular member must then be held with one hand while the gauz is being inserted, and subsequently so long as the feeding operation is continued, through the movement offthe other hand. Various objections to the older form of device areencountered in practice, among which may be mentioned the difficulty of holding the instrument steadily with two hands while performing the packing operation, the disadvantage of having both hands engaged during that operation, the presence of a, roll of gauze lying loosely somewhere in the vicinity of thespecific place of operation, the twisting of the gauze or the necessity for careful watching of, it to prevent twisting while being fed through the device, importantly, the fact that the gauzeis con and by'its being handled during the feeding taminated by its rolling and tumbling about operationas well as at the time-of insertion into the instrument, and importantly also, 2

unless the operator is exceedingly careful in the back-and-forth motion of the feeder the through, in most cases necessitating a with drawal of the gauze already packed andthe beginning of the operations anew. This 1amm1ng of the gauze within the tubularv member occurs chiefly when the feeder is re tracted too far and too much of the gauze J I is thereby attempted to' be forced through.

:gauze packs and jams in the hollow interior of the tubular member and .will not go desired care of gauze-packing device. mentioned, to the end, among other benefits, that sanitary" gauze may be easily and expeditiously applied to the wound or cavity as desired, with a notable reduction of discomfort to the patient and with improved facility of operation andsatisfaction on the part of the operator, as well as a greater measure of safety to. the patient. i

In the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, Figure 1 shows a resilient rod adapted to be inserted in the device to provide a rounded end ad vantageous when applying the instrument in the body cavity; Fig. 2 is a side view of vertical longitudinal section through the device of Fig.2; Fig. 4 is afragment'of a rear i end part showing a bayonet slot; Fig. 5 is a rear end view of thedevice. v

may suitably be termed a pistol-grip. handle lOof. such dimensions and shape as to be comfortably held by a single hand of the o eratorl A tube 11 is rigidly secured uponthe handle, as by sweating it fast within the i, f

tubular upper end 12 of the handle. A'revciprocating tubular member 13 fits for easy sliding movement within the hollow interiorof the tube 11, and a relatively 'long'tubular member 14 fits so loosely within the tube 13 the instrument complete; Fig. 3 is a medial it My improved instrument includes what},

that the tube 13 may slideiupon the inner end portion of-thetube 14:. I I The tube 14 has secured! to it ahead 15 having an annular projection 16 which fits snugly within the tube 11. A bayonet slot 17 in the tube 11 and a pin 18 on the part 16 are adapted to lock the tube 14 strongly to the tubell when the device is in use while permitting removal of the tube 14 for sterilizing purposes or for substituting one of greater or lesser length as a particular occasion may suggest.

A downwardly extending lug 20 upon the sliding tube 13-fits loosely in a slot 21 in the tube 11, part of the handle or frame being also cut away as indicated in Fig. 3, to permit longitudinal movement of the projection 2-0 and of the tube 13.

Upon the handle is pivoted at 23 a lever having a finger piece 24 and an arm 25 pivotally connected at 26 to the link 27, which link is also pivoted to the projection 20 at 28. It is thus apparent that a pull upon the finger piece 24 will move the tube 13 forward, A leaf spring 30 secured to the handle and pressing against the stud 31 retracts the parts to their initial positions when the pressure is withdrawn from the finger piece 24. v

A circular gauze housingor receptacle 33 is provided closely adjacent to the rear end of the tube 13. Its side wall has a. slot 34 through which issues a strip of gauze 35 from the roll within the receptacle ()ne sidewall 39, of the receptacle 33 is readily removable, being held by a bayonet slot connection as shown by Fig. 5, whereby the gauze may be inserted. As noted from Fig. 2 the gauze 35 leads to an enlarged and outwardly-flared opening at 3 8, )roduced by an expansion of the metal of the tube there, and the lower half of the tube 13 is cut away at whereby there is provided ample room for the feeding of the gauze into the hollow interior of the sliding tube 13.

The rod or feeder 42 is a piece of slender wire bifurcated and thereby provided with two diverging prongs 43 at its front end, its rear end having the button or head 44 witha projection 45 extending therefrom and into the end of the tube 13, there being a pin 46 on the part 45 held in the bayonet slot 47 in the tube 13. The rod 48 of Fig. 1 has a similar head and a pin 50 whereby this rodv 48 may be similarly positionerli and held by the tube 13. V

The operation of the device is as follows:

The feeder 4-2 being removed from the tubes 13 and 14, a roll of gauze 35 is freed from its paper wrappings and may be placed in the receptacle 33 without its being touched by the operators hand. W'hile inthat position the prongs 43 of the feeder may be made to catch into the free end of the gauze and the gauze may be drawn so as to pass through the slot at 34. whereupon the covering lid may be placed upon the receptacle The prongs 43 and the gauze held by them are inserted at 38 into the tube 13 and thence into the tube 14, the feeder being pushed forward its full length and being then made secure to the tube 13 by means of the pin 46 and bayonet slot 47. Thereupon, by merely holding the device in one hand the finger-piece 24 may be pulled upon by a the oackin o eration is substantiall complete, the gauze automatically feeding into the tubes 13 and 14 and without contact with any extraneous object. By cutting the gauze between the receptacle 33 and the tube 13 and continuing the operation all of the free 'inaterial is soon packed into the bod cavity and thereupon the instrument may be removed.

It is to be understood that for inserting the device into the body cavity the rod of Fig. 1 is first inserted in the instrument whereby the head 52 projects somewhat beyond the end of the tube 14 and forms a rounded end for this part of the device.

The instrument of Fig. 1 is then removed,

without removing the tube 14, and the gauzefeeding device is then put into operation as hereinabove described.

The device being entirely of metal and being susceptible of being readily'taken apart and reduced to smaller units is easily to be maintained instcrile condition. The pistolgrip and the arrangement of the tube 14 substantially pistol-barrel fashion upon the grip provide for an unusually adyantageous control of the device in use. The stroke is a predetermined one, and is never more than that which will result in satisfactory operation, whereby jamming of the gauze in the tube is avoided. The construction also provides the various other advantages hereinabove pointed out.

I contemplate as being within the scopeof these improvements various changes, modifications and departures from what is specifically herein illustrated and described, as

feeder extending longitudinally within said 130 tube, said feeder having means for engaging a strip of gauze to feed it forward within said tube and out of the forward end thereof with a step-by-step movement, and means for moving the feeder longitudinally with a reciprocating motion, said means including a lever operable by a part of the hand gripping said handle when the device is normally in use.

2. A gauze-packer of the character described comprising in combination. a handle adapted to be gripped substantially in the palm of a hand of the operator, a relatively long gauze tube open at its forward end carried by said handle, said tube having an opening adjacent to the handle for the admission of a strip of gauze thereinto, a gauze feeder extending longitudinally within said tube, said feeder having means for engaging a strip of gauze to feed it forward within said tube and out of the forward end thereof with a step-by-step movement, a lever operable by a finger of the hand'normallygripping said handle for moving the feeder longitudinally in one direction, and spring means for moving the feeder in the opposite direction, to provide a reciprocating motion for the feeder. I

3. A gauze-packer of the character described comprising in combination a handle adapted to be gripped substantially in the palm of a hand of the operator, a relatively long gauze tube open at its forward end carried by said handle, said tube having an opening adjacent to the handle for the admission of a strip of gauze thereinto, a gauze feeder extending longitudinally within said tube, said feeder having means for engaging a strip of gauze to feed it forward within said tube and out of the forward end thereof with a step-bystep movement, means carried by the device for supporting a supply of gauze for deliverv to the interior of said tube,

a lever operable by a finger of the hand normally gripping said handle for moving the feeder longitudinally in one direction, and spring means for moving the feeder .in the opposite direction, to provide a reciprocating motion for the feeder.

4. A gauze-packer'of [the character described comprising in combination a pistolgrip handle, a tubular member carried by v said handle in substantially pistol-barrel relation thereto, a gauze tube open at each end, means for holding the gauze tube in readily removable relation to said tubular member at the forward end of saidtubular member, a

tubular gauze-feedenholder mounted for reciprocation within said tubular member, said feeder-holder being open at its forward end and having an opening for the admission thereinto of a strip of gauze, a relatively long and slender gauze-feeder within said tube and within said feeder-holder, means for holding the gauze-feeder in readily remova-,-

ble relation to the feeder-holder, and means 1 for reciprocating said feeder-holder, said.

means including a lever operable by the hand I normally holding said handle.

5. A gauze-packer of the character described comprising in combination a pistolgrip handle, a tubular membercarried by said handle in substantially pistol-barrel relationthereto,.a gauze tube open at each end, means for holding the gauze tubein readily removable relation to said tubular member at the forward end of said tubular member, a tubular gauze-feeder-holder'mounted for reciprocation within said tubular-member,

said feeder-holder being open at its forward end and having-an opening for the admission thereinto of a strip of gauze, a relatively long and slender gauze-feeder within said tube and within said feeder-holder, means for Y y holding the gauze-feeder in readily removable relation to'the feeder-holder, a substantially-closed casing carried by the handle for i I holding gauze in strip form, said casing having an opening for gauze to issue therefrom, and means for reciprocating said feederhol'der, said means including a lever operable by the hand normally holding said handle.

E. M. P IsToR. 

